Frenchman Julien Alaphilippe won the second stage of the 107th edition of the Tour de France in a sprint, a 186-kilometer fraction with start and finish in Nice. Alaphilippe, the new yellow jersey, beat Swiss Hirshi and British Adam Yates in a three-way sprint. The yellow jersey after the first stage was on the shoulders of the Norwegian Alexander Kristoff (UAE Emirates).
Double blow and a lot of emotion therefore for Julian Alaphilippe in the second stage of the Tour de France 2020. The Frenchman won in the sprint in Nice and found the yellow jersey worn for fourteen days last year, dedicating his success on the Promenade des Anglais to tears, first of the year, to his father 'Jo, who passed away a few weeks ago.
Under the sun of the Côte d'Azur, found after the bad weather of the day before which caused many retirements due to falls, Alaphilippe took his fifth stage victory in the Tour and also gave a clear signal to those who were not giving him in great shape after a not very brilliant start to the season and yesterday's crash. Instead, the standard-bearer of the Deceuninck Quick Step team showed that he was there, and how, by going to attack on the Eze climb, 13 km from the finish, after the group had ended a long and dangerous escape of a small group including Peter Sagan.
Immediately joined by Marc Hirschi, a young and promising Swiss, and by the British Adam Yates, Alaphilippe managed to keep the group at a distance by winning half a wheel on Hirschi and snatching the yellow jersey from Alexander Kristoff, the Norwegian sprinter who had already fallen behind on the Turini, a first-class hill known above all for the Monte Carlo Rally, already 100 km from the finish. "I worked a lot in this stage, I remained focused - commented Alaphilippe -. I wanted to dedicate this victory to my father, it was important for me!". The third stage tomorrow will bring the riders on Monday from Nice to Sisteron, in 198 km, with some climbs but an open finish for sprinters.
